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(No Model) G. W. JOHN S 0N. SOAP HOLDER AND BRUSH.

Patented Jan 12, 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. JOHNSON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO PHILIP D. RAINE, OF SAME PLACE.

SOAP-HOLDER AND BRUSH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 575,159, dated January 12, 1897..-

Application filed June 15,1896. Serial No. 595,699. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Franciscofitate of California,have inventedan Improvement in Soap- Holders and Brushes; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to a device for holding and preserving soap in such a manner that it can be readily used at the washstand or point where it is needed, but cannot be carried away.

The invention consists of the parts and the constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a View of my device in position for use. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the holder and a sectional view of the head. Fig. 3 is a view of the head with part broken away to show the interior.

A great annoyance and inconvenience in. hotels and other public places is the loss of the soap, which is often carried away by the patrons or otherwise disappears.

The object of my invention is to provide a means for preventing the soap from being carried away from the point where it is designed to be used. In order to do this, I inclose the cake of soap in a network bag A, which is made,preferably,of fine silk and wire having sufficient flexibility to allow the soap to be used through its meshes, but also having sufficient strength to prevent the meshes being cut and the soap extracted from the bag.

In order to make it still more convenient, I attach to one side of the bag a flexible rubber or other backing having a hand or nail brush B projecting therefrom, so that the soap may be rubbed upon the hands through the meshes of the bag, and by reversing the device the brush can be used.

In order to secure the bag, I have shown a hanger 0, having a concaved depression'made in the lower part anda stem D, extending up through it, having an enlarged head D, over which the upper end of the bag is drawn together by drawstrings or otherwise secured, and the head is then forced up into the hanger by screw-threads upon the upper end of the stem D, and a nut E, which extends down into the upper end of the hanger and is screwthreaded on the inside to take the threads of the screw-threaded stem. The portion D of this stem or shank is made rectangular or of suchshape that it cannot turn in that part of the socket through which it extends, while the upper end is round and screw-threaded.

The not E is of considerable length and turnable within the upper chambered part of the hanger C. In order to turn it, it has a rectangular opening F, made in the upper part, which is adapted to receive a key by which the nut may be turned.

The nut is prevented from advancing in either direction by the ring G, which serves to suspend the whole device. The ends of this ring pass through holes in the side of the hanger O at the upper end and extend into a groove or channel H, which is made entirely around the upper end of the nut, so that while the ends of the. ring enter the channel and prevent the nut from being moved up or down it is allowed to be turned freely around its axis, so that when it is desired to disengage the soap-holder from the hanger it is only necessary to introduce the proper key into the socket F, and the ring G being turned down horizontally, so as to be out of the way, the nut can be turned until the screw-threaded portion of the stem of the shank D is forced out and it may be moved. The bag A can then be disengaged from the head D and a cake of soap introduced into it, after which the netting is again drawn up around the head D, the shank D introduced into the chamber of the hanger O, and the nut E turned until it is drawn up tightly and the whole secured in place.

, To the ring G is attached a chain I, and this extends upwardly to a suitable spring-actuated roller contained within a casing J, 'fixed to the wall or other suitable point above the washstand or other place where the soap is to be used.

The casing J may contain a spring-actuated roller similar to those used upon curtain window-shades, which therefore needs no further description here. When the soap is needed,

by pulling upon the chain it is uncoiled from the roller and the soap brought down into the bowl where it can be conveniently used. lVhen it is not further needed, the chain is coiled up on the roller and the soap carried up to a point out of the way.

By this construction I am enabled to preserve the soap from being carried away or otherwise wasted, and to form a convenient holder in which it is retained out of the way when not in use.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isg 1. A soap-holder consisting of an indestructible open-mesh netting, a hanger into the lower part of which the mouth of the netting is gathered, and a lockin g device for securing it therein.

2. A soap-holderconsistin g of an indestructible flexible open-mesh netting, a hanger with a suspending-chain, said hanger having an upper and lower chamber and a rectangular opening extending from the lower chamber into the chamber above, a nut turnable in the upper chamber without being removed therefrom, said nut having the lower end screwthreaded and adapted to receive the screwthreaded upper end of a bolt or stem, said bolt or stem having a rectangular portion fitting the rectangular opening in the hanger, and a head fitting within the chamber at the lower end of the hanger which head is adapted to hanger adapted to screw upon the threaded end of the shank whereby the head and the netting are locked in the lower chamber, a ring extending through the sides of the upper end of the hanger so that its ends enter a groove or channel surrounding the nut whereby the latter may be turned within but not removed from the chamber.

4. A soap-holder consisting of a flexible indestructible netting, a swiveling head and hanger in which the mouth of the netting is gathered and locked to prevent removal, a chain and spring-actuated roller by which it is suspended so as to be moved up or down, and a brush having a flexible backing secured to the network-holder.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE \V. JOHNSON.

lVitnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, JESSIE O. ERODIE. 

